Some VW workers weigh possibility of 'micro-union'

After VW vote rejects UAW, options on table

Feb. 16, 2014

Written by

Mike Pare

Chattanooga Times Free Press

CHATTANOOGA — Fresh from beating back a United Auto Workers bid to organize Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant, some workers are eyeing the possibility of what one termed “a micro-union” at the factory.

“That’s a good possibility,” anti-UAW employee Ronnie Shaver said about such a unit at the plant. “You could have a works council, too. That would benefit everybody.”

U.S. Sen. Bob Corker also addressed the idea of an employee bargaining group, minus the UAW, in a Saturday news conference hours after the union vote failed 712-626.

“If you really believe you need to have a labor union, why don’t you organize your own?” Corker said. “There’s all kinds of ways going forward. We’ve never opposed the concept of a works council. It’s the company’s decision, not mine.”